The wines of La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou come from the vineyard of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. This exceptional Médoc terroir is situated between the Gironde River to the east, the center and the west of the Saint-Julien appellation. The estate owes its name to its “beautiful pebbles” (beaux cailloux, in French) which, because of their high quartz content, make for soils that are poor in plant nutrients.

It is precisely this “agrological paucity”, as the late Bordeaux professor and geographer, René Pijassou, described it, that makes them so well-suited to the production of fine wine. In the east, the plots are planted along the rolling Médoc ridges, just above the estuary, while those at the epicentre benefit from a microclimate nurtured by the little La Mouline stream that meanders through the middle of the appellation from west to east before disappearing into the Gironde.

La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou is an original expression of the terroirs of Ducru-Beaucaillou, a blend that is one of a kind. Ducru-Beaucaillou’s elitist approach is fully at work here. As is a passion, that of a team dedicated to excellence. A high-flying wine that perfectly expresses its terroir of exception. This wine blends a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (around 60% each year), completed with Merlot Noir (35% to 37%) as well as a subtly spicy touch of Petit Verdot (3% to 5%). It is carefully aged for 12 months in barrels of which two-thirds are new each vintage.

In this testing year, we first had the Flood (a wet spring with permanent humidity and temperatures distinctly lower than the average), then the Plagues (attacks of excoriose, then the perfidious mildew and finally a burst of oidium), the time in the wilderness (severe drought) and, finally, the arrival in the promised land for optimum picking, Jerusalem the celestial (the Indian summer suits the vine so well…irrecognisable, generous, haughty). Harvest of the Merlot started on September 24th and finish around the Château on the October 1st. Then the handpicking of the Cabernet-Sauvignon between October 7th and 14th.

Outstanding quality with a violet, garnet hue. The nose is powerful with notes of black fruits and plums. Masterful structure, nice roundness, very polished tannins, extreme elegance with a beautiful length.